50 years later in my life:
Grandson: Dadaji.. nayi movie ayi he.. Delhi Express.. love
story he.. bohot achhi he.. usme toh wo gana bhi sahi he.. Pungi dance.. jate
hai na.. please..
Me: Aaj kal k picture bhi koi picture hain.. Pungi
dance! Tauba Tauba.. Hamaare zamane me ek film ayi thi.. jisme na koi Pungi
thi.. na koi Lungi.. fir bhi kamaal kardiya us picture ne… dil jeet liya mera..
Grandson: Konsi Dadaji? Story kya tha uska?
Me(smiling)
Circle Circle Circle
FLASHBACK!
The year is 2013:
“The Lunchbox” is an Indian epistolary romantic film written
and directed by Ritesh Batra, and produced by Guneet
Monga, Anurag Kashyap, and Arun Rangachari.
The film set in Mumbai, revolves around a mistaken delivery
in dabbawala
(lunchbox service) of Mumbai, which leads to a relationship between an about to
retire, Saajan, also a lonely widower and an unhappy housewife, Ila as they
start exchanging notes through the daily lunchbox. (Courtesy Wikipedia)
It’s funny how a few words, like those that are used to
describe this film, overlook the deeper aspects.
Happiness, Pain, Anger, Love etc are all emotions that one
might write down on a piece of paper to describe his/her feelings. But would a person
reading those words actually feel them?
“The Lunchbox” is a love letter to cinema, a film that soars
in its simplicity and yet never shies away from the dark.
Recently I had the misfortune of watching several big budget
romantic comedies/dramas that were either tacky, over-the top or simply too
slow and boring.
I am glad to say that this film is none of them.
In fact this is one of those films that you would remember
for a long time to come.
Everything is perfect in this film. The cinematography, the
sound, the people, the actors. Even the dabbawalas
are real!
Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui are actors that never
disappoint. Nimrat Kaur is excellent too as the housewife. The beautiful
actress fits in so perfectly that it’s hard not to fall for her.
But the real star here is the food! Every time Irfan Khan
opened his Lunchbox my taste buds went gaga over the food. This film satisfied
my hunger for good cinema but left me hungry literally. :)
It's a film made with a lot of heart and it’s for people
who have one.
Conclusion:
Remember this excerpt of a conversation from the climax of
an animation gem:
Shifu: Thank you… Thank you..
Po: No! Master! No, no, no, don't die, Shifu,
please!
Shifu: I'm not dying, you idiot! Dragon Warrior...
...I am simply at peace. Finally.
Well I felt like Shifu after watching this film. :)
